On this page you will find resources that will help you understand the difference between a standard and an honors Math II course.  You will also find resources that will guide you throughout the semester in understanding the curriculum, instruction, and assessments.

Curriculum Content

Math II continues a progression of the standards established in Math I which include concepts of algebra, geometry, functions, number and operations, statistics and modeling throughout the course. Included in these concepts are expressions in the real number system, creating and reasoning with equations and inequalities, interpreting and building simple functions, expressing geometric properties and interpreting categorical and quantitative data. In addition to these standards, Math II includes: polynomials, congruence and similarity of figures, trigonometry with triangles, modeling with geometry, probability, making inferences, and justifying conclusions.

This course will allow students to develop skills with functions and to recognize properties of graphs of those functions. Students will discover through exploratory activities, projects, group work, and hands on activities.

Honors Math II will have more rigorous standards than a standard Math II course, and expectations will be that students will learn the basic standards quickly and will be ready to dig deeper into the content, allowing time for the extensions listed below within the semester course.

Students taking Honors Math II are most likely the students who will take Honors Math III, PreCalculus Honors, as well as an AP Course in Calculus or Statistics. These students need to be prepared for these upper level courses while mastering the basics of Math II. Through vertical alignment, our math department has chosen several topics that would benefit everyone as they move through the honors math pathway. These extensions are aligned to standards in Math III, Honors PreCalculus, AP Calculus, as well as ACT and SAT standards.  

Standards and Objectives

A-CED.3 Represent constraints by equations or inequalities, and by systems of equations and/or inequalities, and interpret solutions as viable or nonviable options in a modeling context. For example, represent inequalities describing nutritional and cost constraints on combinations of different foods.
Note: Extend to linear-quadratic, and linear–inverse variation systems of equations.
Solving systems of equations is a large concept that is used from Math II all the way through every math course a student could take in high school. One of the methods to solve them was removed from the curriculums for Math I, II, and III that is extremely helpful for PreCalculus and Calculus courses. Using matrices to solve systems of equations is an extension that would benefit all honors students as they move on to higher math courses.
A second extension on this same standard is vocabulary. Vocabulary for systems (consistent, dependent, independent, inconsistent) is not a requirement at this level, but would give students a jumpstart for Math III vocabulary and understanding potential questions for the ACT and SAT involving systems of equations.

A-REI.2 Solve simple rational and radical equations in one variable, and give examples showing how extraneous solutions may arise.
Note: At this level, limit to inverse variation.
Solving rational equations is also a concept that is carried throughout future math courses. Solving rational equations that are more difficult and requiring students to find common denominators for these types of problems would help them with solving equations in higher math courses.

A-REI.4 a) Solve quadratic equations in one variable. B) Solve quadratic equations by inspection (e.g., for x² = 49), taking square roots, completing the square, the quadratic formula and factoring, as appropriate to the initial form of the equation. Recognize when the quadratic formula gives complex solutions and write them as a ± bi for real numbers a and b.
There are multiple ways to solve quadratic equations. Math II focuses on factoring, square roots, as well as the quadratic formula. By extending this standard to include completing the square, we can connect perfect square trinomials as well as square roots in solving equations. To extend our knowledge of quadratic functions, we will analyze the discriminant of quadratic functions as a means to predict the types of solutions we will get before we start to solve the problem itself. This will provide our honors students an additional means to check their work and insure the correct answer.

F-IF.7 a) Graph functions expressed symbolically and show key features of the graph, by hand in simple cases and using technology for more complicated cases. B) Graph square root, cube root, and piecewise-defined functions, including step functions and absolute value functions. e. Graph exponential and logarithmic functions, showing intercepts and end behavior, and trigonometric functions, showing period, midline, and amplitude.
Note: At this level, extend to simple trigonometric functions (sine, cosine, and tangent in standard position)
Amplitude and Period of Sine and Cosine are easy to find even when they are not in parent forms. Explaining Amplitude and Period connects students’ prior knowledge with vertical stretches and compressions as well as horizontal stretches and compressions. This allows students to understand how trigonometric functions can be transformed in the same ways as the other functions we have discussed in Math II.

F-IF.8 Write a function defined by an expression in different but equivalent forms to reveal and explain different properties of the function. a. Use the process of factoring and completing the square in a quadratic function to show zeros, extreme values, and symmetry of the graph, and interpret these in terms of a context.
Note: At this level, completing the square is introduced while not completely exploring its potential uses.
There are multiple ways to solve quadratic equations. Math II focuses on factoring, square roots, as well as the quadratic formula. Completing the square to solve quadratics is another method that isn’t explored fully in Math II standards. Since Math II doesn’t involve imaginary roots often, completing the square isn’t necessary. However, by extending this standard to include completing the square, we can also connect perfect square trinomials as well as square roots in solving equations.

G-CO.10 Prove theorems about triangles. Theorems include: measures of interior angles of a triangle sum to 180°; base angles of isosceles triangles are congruent; the segment joining midpoints of two sides of a triangle is parallel to the third side and half the length; the medians of a triangle meet at a point.
Note: At this level, include measures of interior angles of a triangle sum to 180° and the segment joining midpoints of two sides of a triangle is parallel to the third side and half the length.
For Math II, formal proofs are not included in the curriculum. However, by introducing either paragraph or two-column proofs, students will have a better grasp of the thought process required for proving something is true in mathematics. Proofs of congruent triangles are not included in Math III, but they are required to do proofs involving other theorems and topics. This would give students a base knowledge on the process of proofs and help them to think through the requirements for proving anything.

G-SRT.8 Use trigonometric ratios and the Pythagorean Theorem to solve right triangles in applied problems.
Special Right Triangles – 30-60-90 and 45-45-90 triangle properties – are not explicitly defined as part of the curriculum for Math II. However, using these properties in math III is extremely helpful when developing the Unit Circle. By learning these properties, students can save themselves time when solving problems involving these special right triangles. It will also allow students to more quickly develop the coordinates for the Unit Circle and to solve other application problems. This is also an ACT standard that is expected.

Curriculum Plan  

Honors Math II COURSE SYLLABUS (Includes Supply List)

Parent Curriculum Documents: Parent Curriculum Portal

Instructional Materials and Methods

The honors course is taught based on the needs and abilities of the students.  Units are taught with a variety of methods including whole class instruction, group discovery activities, individual assignments, and presentations.  The extensions listed above are things that have been done in previous honors courses.  Each class is different and has different strengths and weaknesses.  Each class may have different extensions.  There also may be activities in this course that do not relate to the standards listed above.  With the extensions in this honors course, students will complete activities both individually and in groups or partners that help them develop the necessary knowledge for standards in future courses.  In developing these extensions, vertical alignment with Math III, Pre-Calculus, and AP Calculus standards were used as well as ACT standards.

Students are expected to work independently and to have a drive to learn.  Students should be driven and should want to learn for the sake of learning.  Students should push themselves and come to class prepared.  

Assessment

For Honors Math II, there will be more expectations for students to be able to complete short answer, open-ended assessments as well as multiple choice ones.  They will also be expected to prepare for assessments that require more mental math and conceptual understanding without the use of a calculator.  Tests for an honors course are more rigorous than in a standard course because they will be assessed on the extensions as well as the regular curriculum and standards. Students will be taking the NC Final Exam at the completion of the course.  More information will be provided as we get closer to this time.    

The final exam in this course is a North Carolina Final Exam.  This is a state test.  It is not created by the teacher.  It counts as 25% of the students' final grade in the course, with each 9 weeks’ grade counting as 37.5%.  There are released exam questions that will be used during exam review at the end of the course as well as throughout the course when the content is taught